Going under cover for a perfect gift

For the quirky reader, try “The Life-span of a Fact” by John B’Agata and Jim Fingal, about the fascinating middle ground between truth and almost truth.

For me, I am buying two books. One is “When I Was a Child I Read Books” by Marilynn Robinson. She is a beautiful writer, and I know these essays will speak to me.

The other is a book of poems by Mary Oliver, “A Thousand Mornings.” My favorite is:

I go down to the shore in the morningAnd depending on the hour the wavesAre rolling in or moving out,And I say, oh, I am miserable,What shall…What should I do? And the seaIn its lovely voice says:Excuse me, I have work to do.